Notables
-CSS is outscoring opponents 54-12 in the final three innings this season
-Weber has reached base in 18 straight games
-CSS has not lost at Northwestern since 1998
ST. PAUL (
csssaints.com) – The St. Scholastica baseball team swept the University of Northwestern (Minn.) on Monday, taking game one 10-4 and the nightcap 5-1.
Game 1: CSS 10, UNW 4
The opening game saw the Saints break a 4-4 tie with six runs in the final three innings to win 10-4.
CSS pushed three runs across in the first.
Conor Wollenzien (North Mankato, Minn./Mankato West HS) had a RBI double to bring in
Brad Fossum (Sturgeon Lake, Minn./Moose Lake HS (Concordia-St. Paul)). Later, Wollenzien scored on a double steal.
Lane Girtz (Pierz, Minn./Pierz Healy HS) brought in the final run of the inning with a single to score
Aaron Weber (Sauk Rapids, Minn./Pierz HS).
A RBI groundout in the second inning by Fossum made it 4-0. Saints pitcher
Isaac Rocha (Owatonna, Minn./Owatonna HS) was rolling along, not allowing a hit through four innings, but ran into trouble in the fifth. The Eagles broke up the no-hitter with a leadoff triple. After a pair of walks, Sam Peterson hit a grand slam home run to tie the contest at 4-4.
With the score still tied at 4-4 in the seventh,
James Fuerniss (Lonsdale, Minn./New Prague HS) delivered once again in a big spot with a bases clearing, three-run double to make it 7-4. Weber added a sacrifice fly in the eighth, while Fuerniss had a sacrifice fly in the ninth, followed by a
Cole Tyman (Elk Mound, Wis./Elk Mound HS) solo home run to make the final score 10-4.
Jake Sande (Hayward, Wis./Hayward HS) pitched the final four innings in relief, allowing just two hits to earn the win. Rocha had six strikeouts in the no-decision. Five different Saints had a pair of hits, while Fuerniss recorded four RBIs.
Game 2: CSS 5, UNW 1
In the nightcap,
Grant Taival (Mahtomedi, Minn./Mahtomedi HS) went the distance for the Saints for his first collegiate complete-game victory in a 5-1 CSS triumph.
The Saints scored all five of their runs after the fifth inning. The Eagles (13-11, 2-4 UMAC) led 1-0 after five innings of play, but Fossum led off the sixth inning with a triple.
Joey Zwak (Duluth, Minn./Duluth East HS) drove in Fossum with a sacrifice fly to tie the game.
A Wollenzien double, followed by a Weber single made it 2-1. Weber later scored in the inning to make it 3-1. Girtz had a RBI single in the eighth and Fossum a RBI groundout in the ninth to make the final 5-1.
Taival scattered five hits and struck out two to improve to 2-0 on the year. Fossum, Wollenzien and
Cody Venske (Stillwater, Minn./Stillwater HS) each had a pair of hits for the Saints. Girtz had two RBIs.
Up Next:
The Saints (13-8, 6-0 UMAC) will remain in St. Paul and face Macalester College on Tuesday beginning at 2 p.m.